Prepare to Succeed
"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure." Confucius
I have a confession. I wasnt always a good planner. Sure, I had a Daytimer, used Outlook and scheduled my meetings. I even had an assistant for years who placed my calendar with my meetings and appointments on my desk every morning. I wrote my kids events at school and doctor appointments in my calendar. I hung birthday party invitations on the fridge at home. At the time, I thought I was organized. But man did things fall through the cracks. Do you ever feel like that? Yes, I knew we had a birthday party this weekend but always ended up buying the gift in a rush on the way there (and at the time I WORKED for the corporate office of a national toy chain! Couldnt I have picked up a gift in one of my many visits to the stores during the week?). So, what I discovered is that there is a difference between keeping a calendar and actually having a plan for what you want to achieve.
Success doesnt just happen at home or at work. Just like a vacation, you need to at least plan where you want to go and figure out how youre going to get there. then once you have the plan, you can deviate a bit if something interesting comes up but at least you have a framework. Otherwise, you would never get there if you didnt get driving directions or make a flight reservation, right? And if you only make the plans to get to your destination, you would waste a lot of time once you got there just figuring out what you want to accomplish. Chances are this wouldnt be the best use of your vacation time unless of course its one of those vacations where you just want to veg-out and do nothing (which is fine for a vacation but not a life).
Its so easy in our society to just jump in and start running. There was a time in business when there was actually training for jobs. Now, unless there is real technical information to learn, many times, we experience trial by fire. Thats ok and I believe theres real value in experience as opposed to theory however, we begin to live our lives that way too. What happens is that we become reactive and never take the time to step back and sharpen our saw as Stephen R. Covey says or sharpen your ax as Frank Vitetta, the owner of the first company I worked for used to say. If you keep chopping away at the tree that is your life with an ax or saw and you never take a step back to sharpen the ax, you become less productive. Additionally, if you dont plan what youre doing, the tree may fall on you.
So, you must determine where you want to go and devise a plan to get there. Weve all made resolutions and goals before only to have them fall by the wayside. I believe what makes goals achievable is if they support what you believe in. So when you are putting your goals in place, think about what is important to youtake a look from 3,000 feetthe big picture. What do you really value? (Not what do you think you should ) Some of my top values are:
- Family relationships
- Authenticity
- Compassion
- Love
- business success
- respect
- fitness and health
- professionalism
These areas of importance help me reaffirm what is important to me and remind of what is not so I dont waste my time. From here, I work with my clients to create true goals for business and personal
life that support these values. I start yearly and
then break this down into monthly goals and tasks.
then, we break this down into daily habits we put in place to set ourselves up for success. I put my yearly and monthly goals as well as my daily tasks in my planner so I can
see them every day.
Its important not to set yourself up for failure and to stop committing to things you know you wont accomplish. Start small. For example if you have always had the goal to be a size 8 but for at least 30 years you have been a size 12, understand that there has got to be something stopping you from achieving this. Stop beating yourself up (when you dont achieve this month after month and year after year) and stop putting it on the list because you either dont want it badly enough, dont know how to achieve it, need more support or have some medical and/or psychological issues around this. If you constantly made promises to a friend and never kept those promises, how long with this friend trust you? Not too long. Thats what you do to yourself when you constantly break your word. Set yourself up for successget some achievements under your belt and keep your word to yourself consistently.
Try these tips to help you plan for success.
- Use the beginning of the month as an opportunity to start anew. Write your goals for the month on the monthly summary page of your planner.
- Determine tasks to achieve these goals and write them on your daily planner pages.
- Take ten minutes before you pack up to leave the office to plan the next day while tasks are still fresh in your mind. Write them in your planner so you can download them from your brain and prevent those 3AM wake up panic sessions.
- Take 15 minutes during the weekend to plan your week. see where your appointments fall both personal and professional. Schedule your exercise (or a yoga class!) on days where you see some time.
- Have your children pick out their clothes the night before school. Planning isnt just about keeping yourself organized and making you successful. Its about them too.
- Take another 15 minutes during the weekend and plan your meals for the week. 15 minutes on the weekend can prevent unhealthy eating and stress about food preparation all week.
Think about people and teams that are successful, do they just wing it or do they have playbooks, game plans and strategies to achieve what they want? Success doesnt just happen; like it or not you have to plan. The question is how badly do you want to succeed?
Karyn Pless is the creator of The Beyond Balance Home Study System and President of a U.S. company called Beyond Balance which conducts corporate training, keynote speaking, seminars and executive coaching. For 18 years Karyn built her career in marketing working her way up the corporate ladder to Vice President of Marketing of a U.S. retailer and then Vice President, Marketing and Creative Services of a U.S. promotional agency while also juggling two children and a husband. After turning to a personal coach herself to reduce the chaos in her life, Karyn decided to become trained and certified as a professional coach and pass on all she has learned to effectively guide business professionals who want practical, real-world, work/life integration tactics that actually work in the business world.
For more information, please visit http://www.WorkLifeExpert.com
Cl Find Yoga
Give Yourself A Boost At Work With These Simple, Refreshing Tips
Continued concentration over long periods required in the modern workplace can be demanding on your mind and your body. The stress and fatigue felt by many of us can impact our work performance and lead to ongoing stress and exhaustion when you get home.
However taking a short break to complete a few simple yoga postures at your desk can help to relieve stress and tiredness and refresh you for another work session.
Office yoga part 1
Start by vigorously rubbing your hands together until you feel warmth on your palms. Place your hands on your face with your palms cupping your eyes and your fingers on your forehead making sure that no light gets to your eyes. Hold your hands here with your eyes open and relaxed to relieve eye muscle tensions and eye strain related headaches.
Nadi Shodhana (alternate breathing)
Sit comfortably in your chair with your back tall and straight. Hold your right hand in front of your face with the middle two fingers resting between your eyebrows. Your thumb should be above your right nostril and your ring finger above the left. Close your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in slowly and silently through your left nostril, until your lungs are full without straining. release the right nostril and close the left nostril with your ring finger. Exhale through the right nostril slowly, keeping the duration of the exhale the same as the inhale. Inhale slowly through the right nostril. release the left nostril and close the right nostril with your thumb while you exhale. Repeat the sequence 10 times making sure that your breathing is silent.
Mushtika Bandhana (Hand Clenching)
Hold your arms out straight in front of you at shoulder height, palms down, stretching the fingers wide. Close your hands into a fist with the thumb held inside, as you slowly exhale. Slowly inhale as you open your hands and stretch your fingers. Repeat 10 times.
Manibandha Naman (Wrist Flexing)
Holding your arms straight out in front of you, at shoulder level palms down. Inhale as you slowly bend your hand backwards, fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Exhale as you slowly bend the wrist downwards, fingers pointing towards the floor. Repeat 10 times
Manibandha Chakra (Wrist circling)
Hold your right hand straight out in front of you at shoulder level, making a fist with the thumb tucked inside. Rotate the hand in a clockwise circular motion, making as large a circle as possible while keeping the elbow straight and still, keep your breath slow and smooth. Make 10 circles in a clockwise direction, then 10 in the opposite direction. Repeat with the left hand. Alternatively you can work both hands at the same time.
Kehuni Naman (Elbow Bending)
Hold your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level hand open with the palms facing upwards. As you exhale, bend your arms at the elbow and touch your shoulders. Inhale as you straighten your arms. Repeat 10 times.
Skandha Chakra (Shoulder rotation) Hold your arms out sideways at shoulder level, bend your elbows and touch your shoulders with your fingers. Rotate your arms in a clockwise direction, making sure that your elbows touch your chest, ears and sides as you make the circle. keep your breath slow, inhaling as your arms move up, and exhaling as your arms move down. Make 10 complete rotations then repeat in the opposite direction.
Greeva Sanchalana (Neck Movements)
Sit comfortably facing forward with your eyes closed. Exhale as you lower your head trying to touch your chin to your chest. Inhale as you lift your head backwards as far as possible without straining. Repeat 10 times.
Sit comfortably facing forward, eyes closed. Without turning you neck, exhale as you lower your head to the right, trying to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Breathe in as you raise your head and exhale as you lower it to the left side. Repeat 10 times.
Sit facing forward, eyes closed. Inhale as you turn your head to the right to look over your right shoulder. Inhale as you return to center. Exhale as you turn to the left to look over your left shoulder. Repeat 10 times.
In the same position eyes closed, rotate your head in a clockwise circular motion bringing you head down, to the right, backward and to the left. Exhale as you move your head down, inhale as you move your head up.
To find out how Total.yoga.Practice can help you fit a full yoga practice into your busy schedule with our 24/7 professional instruction, visit http://www.TotalYogaPractice.com/
Please note the following important cautions before using Total.yoga.Practice. Not all exercise is suitable for everyone, and this or any exercise programme may result in injury. Consult with your doctor before you use the Total.yoga.Practice services. To reduce the risk of injury, never force or strain yourself during exercise. If you feel pain, stop and seek medical attention if necessary.
Any liability, loss or damage in connection with the use of Total.yoga.Practice and its yoga instruction, including but not limited to any liability, loss or damage arising from the performance of the exercises demonstrated here, or any advice or information provided by Total.yoga.Practice in the videos, or on the website, is expressly disclaimed
To help you reduce the effects of working long hours at a desk or in front of a computer, Total.yoga.Practice suggests you periodically perform 2 simple yoga practices at your desk. The first practice is described in this newsletter. The second part of this work relaxation series can be found in our Free yoga newsletter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jez Heath is helping real people learn yoga online so they can make the commitment necessary to improve their yoga and their health - mind, body and soul. Learn how yoga streaming video can help you transform your life
Statue Of Jesus In Yoga Meditation Pose
Fun Golf Tournament Planning Ideas
Fun golf tournament planning can be accomplished as long as you try to keep in mind that you want it to be fun and that you can all agree on which not-too-serious golf tournament ideas to use. There are many different formats for teams of nearly all sizes and I will discuss some of them in this article. Some fun golf tournament format ideas include '123 Best Ball', 'Air Presses', 'Aces And Deuces' and 'Honest John'. There are too many popular games to try to explain in such a brief article, but many can be found in golfing magazines and on-line.
When playing '1-2-3 best ball' you should have four person teams, and it is played by simply all golfers playing the entire game. When the first hole is done; the lowest score goes on the card, when the second hole is done the two lowest scores go on the card, and when the third hole is done the three lowest scores all go on the card. After three holes you start back at one.
When Playing 'Aces And Deuces' the basic idea is that the lowest score is the ace, and the highest score is the deuce, who ever is the ace wins a preset amount of money from the rest of the players. The deuce on the other hand owes each of the other players a preset amount (usually half the ace) also. This is a game where even the second and third place players still get some money back in their hands, and is usually played by four people. It is a good idea to consider when planning a fun golf tournament.
In 'Air Presses' the bets are of a predetermined amount and bets are placed by the golfer who has not swung yet as it gives both the turn to up the ante. If the second golfer bets while the first golfer's drive is in the air then he would shout' air Press' and the bet would be automatically agreed on. If the first golfer shouts air press while the second golfer's drive is in the air then the bet is automatically doubled. This game is also suited for fun golf tournament planning.
'Honest John' is also a very fun way to make things a little more interesting during a nice friendly game of golf. When playing 'Honest John' each player pays an equal amount in to a pot. Each player then writes down the score he thinks he will make on the round. At the end if the round the golfer with the closest score to what he wrote down is the winner.
These are only a few examples of some fun golf tournament format ideas. You should discuss a few ideas to your group and see what the general consensus is about each idea. Remember that a fun golf tournament is no fun with a driver sticking out of your head.
Visit us for more information on tournament golf gifts & ideas, golf tournament insurance and charity golf tournament tips
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